The present invention generally relates to flight paths of aircraft and more specifically to flight path of a soaring aircraft as it relates to lift forces.
Initially soaring and gliding was used to increase the duration of flights. Soon however, pilots attempted flights away from the place of launch. Improvements in aerodynamics and in the understanding of weather phenomena have allowed greater distances at higher average speeds. Long distances are now flown using any of the main sources of rising air: ridge lift, thermals and lee waves. When conditions are favorable, experienced pilots can now fly hundreds of kilometers before returning to their home airfields.
Gliders are used for tasks such as search and rescue, surveillance, transportation, and pleasure. Gliders are reliant on meteorological conditions to provide lift; subsequently the optimal route from A to B is often not direct.